Let's read...

So sometimes this inner voice can be an incredible source of help, but at other times it can really sink us. First, it makes it incredibly hard for us to focus. Chatter consumes our attention. Chatter can also create friction in your relationships because you're talking about your problems over and over again, and not being a great listener to others. It can also makes us more irritable, and lead to something called 'displaced aggression.' Finally, we know that chater can have severe, negative, physical health effects. You've probably heard that stress kills- that's not exactly true. A stress response is a really adaptive response. What makes stress toxic is when it remains chronically elevated over time. This is precisely what chatter does. We experience a stressor in our life, it then ends, but in our minds our chatter perpetuates it. We keep thinking about that event over and over and over again. And that keeps that stress response active in ways that can predict things like cardiovascular disease, chronic inflammation, and even cancer. It's hard to overstate how negative the implications of chatter can be.

Let's follow Ethan...

So sometimes this inner voice can be an incredible source of help, / but at other times it can really sink us. // First, it makes it incredibly hard for us to focus. / Chatter consumes our attention. / Chatter can also create friction in your relationships / because you're talking about your problems over and over again, / and not being a great listener to others. // It can also make us more irritable, / and lead to something called 'displaced aggression.' // Finally, we know that chatter can have severe, negative physical health effects. / You've probably heard that stress kills- / that's not exactly true. // A stress response is a really adaptive response. / What makes stress toxic is when it remains chronically-elevated over time. // This is precisely what chatter perpetuates it. / We keep thinking about that event over and over and over again. // And that keeps that stress response active / in ways that can predict things like cardiovascular disease, / chronic inflammation, / and even cancer. // It's hard to overstate how negative the implications of chatter can be. //

Let's read...

The good news is there is a science-based toolkit that you can use to regain control of your inner voice. There are things we can do on our own, ways of harnessing our relationships with other people, and even ways of interacting with physical environments. One really great example of these tools are rituals . We love having control. When you experience chatter, you often feel like your thoughts are in control of you. One of the things that we've learned through science is that we can compensate for this feeling of being out of control by creating order around us rituals are one way to do that. A ritual is an ordered sequence of behaviors every time the same way. That's giving you a sense of order and control. That can feel really good when you're mired in chatter.

Let's follow Ethan...

The good news is there is a science-based toolkit / that you can use to regain control of your inner voice. / There are things we can do on our own, / ways of harnessing our relationships with other people, / and even ways of interacting with physical environments. // One really great example of these tools are rituals. We love having control. / When you experience chatter, / you often feel like your thoughts are in control of you. // One of the things that we've learned through science / is that we can compensate for this feeling of being out of control / by creating order around us / rituals are one way to do that. // A ritual is an ordered sequence of behaviors every time the same way. // That's giving you a sense of order and control. / That can feel really good when you're mired in chatter.